Synopsis

In Deadwood, sharpshooter Calamity Jane boasts that she can bring famous actress Adelaide Adams from Chicago to perform at the Golden Garter. A case of mistaken identity leaves her with Adelaide's maid, Katie Brown, whose arrival transforms the town and unsettles its romantic alliances. As Calamity tries to win Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin, she gradually recognizes where her true feelings lie.

Factoids & Trivia

• Warner Bros. had reportedly been developing a Calamity Jane musical for Doris Day as early as 1948, several years before production began.

• Production took place from December 1952 through March 1953, using Warner Bros. studio stages in Burbank and the Warner Ranch in Calabasas, California.

• The film is a highly fictionalized version of Martha Jane Canary, the real frontier figure. The historical Calamity Jane was known as a hard-drinking frontierswoman, while the movie presents her ordering sarsaparilla.

• South Dakota governor Sigurd Anderson reportedly declined an invitation to the premiere, objecting to the film's portrayal of Calamity Jane and its celebration of her as a state heroine.

• "Secret Love," with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Doris Day's recording also became one of her biggest hit records.

• Day later identified Calamity Jane as her favorite film role and described the character as especially close to her own personality.

• The film's songs and screenplay provided the foundation for a stage musical that premiered in 1961 and went on to receive numerous later productions.

• Day performed much of Calamity's vigorous physical comedy, including horseback riding, leaping, sliding, and whip work. During a lasso stunt, she nearly lost consciousness when the rope tightened around her.